DE 197 02 645 C1 discloses for example an apparatus for the production of transversely ribbed tubes, which along the common guide section for guiding the mold jaw halves has a linear guide device which is formed by an elongate central sliding body, preferably comprising a sliding metal alloy, and two oil-lubricated guide bodies which are disposed laterally beside the sliding body and which preferably comprise an abrasion wear-resistant metal.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,965 discloses an apparatus for the production of transversely ribbed tubes, comprising mold jaw halves which are circulatingly moved along two endless guide paths by means of a respective associated drive device. The mold jaw halves of the respective guide path are connected together by means of an endless chain. The two guide paths have a common mold section, a reactive return section and two respective direction-hanging sections. The mold jaw halves do not bear aft each other at the direction-changing sections. That known apparatus has a machine bed with a base plate of steel and with a support plate mounted thereon and comprising a sliding bearing metal, for example bronze.
Apparatuses of the general kind set forth as are known for example from the above-quoted publications with wearing members of metal suffer from the disadvantage that the wearing members are relatively cost-intensive. A further disadvantage is that replacement of the wearing members, as is often unavoidable after a long period of operation of the apparatus, is very time-consuming and consequently also cost-intensive. Often it is not possible at all for the user of such a known apparatus to perform the necessary replacement operation, which means that either the apparatus has to be sent back to the manufacturer thereof or that a fitter from the manufacturer of the apparatus has to be dispatched to the user of the apparatus. That all involves a considerable amount of complication and expenditure.
In consideration of those factors the object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the kind set forth in the opening part of this specification, wherein the wearing members are comparatively inexpensive and replacement of the wearing members is possible quickly and in a timesaving fashion—including by the user of the apparatus on site—within a very short time.